#CelebrateNurses Contest

I am happy to nominate my mother, Tashi Chokey, who has worked tirelessly as a Med-Surg RN for the past 27 years and worked the last year in a designated COVID unit for patients with COVID-19. I was inspired by my mother to pursue nursing after being attached to her hip all these years and learning just how amazing a profession nursing is. She has displayed true selflessness and compassion whenever she is with her patients. She works with patients who've had no one else show them the dignity or respect they deserve, whether it be inside or outside of the hospital. She's given them not only the physical and medical care that they need, but also the emotional support that is essential in their recovery process. As most of us know, the med-surg unit is one of the most strenuous, mentally and physically exhausting areas to work in an acute-care facility. Despite that, she takes the extra step in helping her coworkers when they are overwhelmed with tasks and will even be one of the first people willing to stay overtime when the next shift is short-staffed, even though she has more seniority than her coworkers and is exhausted from her shift. It's the little things she does, such as bringing snacks for her patients when they are hungry, holding her patients hands when they feel lonely, showing attention to those who've been neglected because of their housing or socioeconomic status, and praying with the family members of her patients who've passed away that make her so unique and so profound. Despite the adversities, challenges and all the years of blood, sweat, and tears she's poured into her career as a nurse, my mother has not an ounce of regret and truthfully cannot imagine a life where she isn't aiding and caring for those in need. It is truly her life's calling.